Borderlands 3 will launch with Denuvo Anti-Tamper DRM

Published , by Blake Morse

In the modern world where piracy runs rampant, creators have to find ways to protect their works. For game makers, Digital Rights Management software, or DRM for short has become the go-to method to attempt to, at the very least, slow down hackers. And while most consumers aren’t fans of such practices, it’s mostly accepted as a fact of life now. But, there is one particular DRM that people seem to truly revile: Denuvo Anti-Tamper. And Borderlands 3 is now set to launch with it.

Borderlands 3 will include Denuvo's controversial DRM

The reason that Denuvo Anti-Tamper has such a poor reputation is that it requires you to always have an online connection when you’re playing the game. Denuvo Anti-Tamper has reared its ugly head in titles like FIFA 18 and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, along with a plethora of Ubisoft titles including the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry series. Even though Borderlands 3 is definitely a game best experienced in online co-op the issue is enough to make your average gamer bemoan the DRM software. But, what really drives their ire home seems to be that it takes up valuable CPU power when running a game.

According to VG247, a hacker named Volski discovered that in the PC release of Assassin’s Creed: Origins Denuvo Anti-Tamper took up 30-40% of CPU power resources when it was running. This was, of course, vehemently denied and Denuvo ended up taking the hacker to court. The DRM is hardly foolproof though, and several titles that used it have been hacked within hours of launching including Devil May Cry 5, Soul Calibur 6, and Resident Evil 2.

How much will the inclusion of the DRM software hurt Borderlands 3? It’s hard to say, but probably not much, if at all, in the long run. Gamers tend to complain about things like this a lot but then still end up purchasing the games either because of FOMO, a love of a franchise, or whatever personal reasons they may have. I know for me personally after getting some extended hands-on time with Borderlands 3 that nothing, not even a pain-in-the-butt DRM is going to stop me from playing it.

Right now Borderlands 3 is set to launch on Xbox One, PS4, and exclusively on the Epic Games Store for PC.